Skepta: Last News

Skepta has announced the first line-up for the 2025 edition of his Big Smoke Festival. Find all the details below.The event will return to Crystal Palace Park in south-east London on August 9 and 10 as part of South Facing Festival, following its inaugural outing last summer.Today (March 4), organisers have confirmed the initial wave of acts for the first date.

A$AP Rocky opened his headline set at Rolling Loud California by performing new songs aboard a helicopter – watch footage below.The rapper topped the bill at the Inglewood festival on Saturday (March 15) and showed up on a helicopter with the words ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ emblazoned across it, in reference to his upcoming studio album of the same name.He opened with the unreleased song ‘All Black (Stole Ya Flow)’ and a second track that sampled Coolio’s ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’, before being lowered to the stage during a rendition of ‘A$AP Forever’.Rocky’s set also included an appearance from Skepta on ‘Praise The Lord (Da Shine)’, and performances of 2024 single ‘Tailor Swif’ and new songs ‘Your Honor’ and ‘Stop Snitching’.Watch the whole performance here:‘All Black (Stole Ya Flow)’ ‘(Unknown)’ (new song) ‘A$AP Forever’ ‘Grim Freestyle’ ‘Stop Snitching’ ‘RIOT (Rowdy Pipe’n)’ ‘Praise The Lord (Da Shine)’ (with Skepta) ‘Tailor Swif’ ‘American Sabotage’ ‘Highjack’ ‘Your Honor’ ‘Yamborghini High’ ‘Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2’ ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ had been scheduled for an August 2024 release, but likely due to his high-profile court battle, that date has been pushed back multiple times. It is expected later in 2025.Last month, he said: “I think quite frankly, people are tired of hearing about updates about the album.

Playboi Carti has finally dropped his long-awaited album, ‘Music’ – here’s the official tracklist featuring a star-studded line-up including Future, The Weeknd and more.The record should have been out at midnight today (March 14), but Carti originally delayed the release by three hours. When the album didn’t arrive at 3am, fans became worried, but – according to hip-hop correspondent DJ Akademiks – the delay was due to an issue with sample clearances (via HotNewHipHop).‘Music’ finally dropped a couple hours later.

Central Cee paid homage to the grime legend Skepta by getting a tattoo of the Boy Better Know logo on a livestream.Last Friday (January 24), the rapper went on PlaqueBoyMax’s live stream for an ‘In The Booth’ studio session and made the dreamy drill song ’24 Hours’ together. The duo also listened to Cee’s new debut album ‘Can’t Rush Greatness’ – which features the Tottenham rapper on the energetic and hard-hitting ‘Ten’.While listening to the record, a tattoo artist showed up and Cench chose to get an outline of the iconic block-lettered logo of Boy Better Know – the pioneering grime collective founded by Skepta and his brother JME back in 2005.“I wanted to get something for, like, Skepta, like a Boy Better Know tatt’ or something,” Cench revealed.

Apple Music has announced the line-up for its New Year’s Eve livestream events.To ring in 2025, Apple Music has amassed an eclectic performance line-up for its two New Year’s Eve livestreams – both titled Apple Music Live: NYE. The first livestream will feature Björk performing a rare DJ set, and will also include performances from Apple Music’s Tim Sweeney and London DJ Naina.

Skepta premiered a new track with Kanye West at a fashion show for his brand MAINS last night (September 14). Check it out below.Dubbed ‘Cash Cow’ by fans, the unreleased track has been teased since mid-August, when West first shared a snippet during a ‘Vultures 2’ listening party in LA.Last night, Skepta shared a new teaser of the song during a fashion show for his brand MAINS.

Skepta is reportedly in the works, and set to be directed by BAFTA nominee Hector Dockrill.Announced by Variety, the forthcoming project is set to see Skepta’s production company, 1PLUS1 Production, join forces with US hospitality and lifestyle marketing company the H.Wood Group for the first time.It is reportedly set for a release in 2025, and is being described as a “stirring documentary about the artist focusing on themes of cultural identity and artistry”, according to a press release shared with the outlet.Dwight Okechukwu for 1PLUS1 will be producing the documentary, alongside John Terzian, Brian Toll and Jeremy Allen for H.Wood Media.“I am thrilled and excited about our new partnership with powerhouse H.wood media, based in Los Angeles,” said Okechukwu of the new project (via Variety). “As we embark on this collaborative journey, I am truly excited about the endless possibilities that lie ahead.“I find Jeremy, John and Brian very inspiring and supportive.

Skepta has put out an open casting call for models to feature in his next MAINS fashion runway show.In a tweet published yesterday (May 31), the grime MC – real name Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr. – revealed that his clothing line MAINS is set for a new runway show in September, and he’s looking for models to feature there.“All ethnicities, genders, and body types are welcome,” he writes, before detailing instructions for applicants: “Please send up to date polaroids (headshots & full length body), height, body measurements, age and location to; casting@mainslondon.com”The upcoming event will mark a year after his clothing line held its debut showing at London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2024.OPEN CASTING CALL:We are looking for models to walk our next MAINS runway show this September 2024.All ethnicities, genders, and body types are welcomeTo apply please send up to date polaroids (headshots & full length body), height, body measurements, age and location to;… pic.twitter.com/i0VjR86WOC— Big Smoke – (@Skepta) May 31, 2024MAINS was first launched by Skepta in 2017 before putting it on hold two years later due to an “amicable” split he had with his partner manufacturer at the time, per Vogue.

RAYE, Yussef Dayes, Skepta and more have all won at the 2024 Ivor Novello Awards – check out the full list below.At this year’s awards ceremony today (May 23), RAYE was crowned Songwriter of the Year for having “the voice of a generation” as described by the judges. RAYE, who has spoken out numerous times for songwriter rights, won the award just one year after the release of her long-awaited debut album ‘My 21st Century Blues‘.Meanwhile, Yussef Dayes landed a win for Best Album for his record ‘Black Classical Music’, whilst the Best Contemporary Song went to the Speakers Corner Quartet (Kwake Bass, Peter Bennie, Biscuit and Raven Bush) with Kae Tempest for ‘Geronimo Blues’.Victoria Canal also won Best Song Musically And Lyrically for her track ‘Black Swan’ alongside Johnny Lattimer and Eg White.

Skepta has confirmed that he will be ending his sponsorship deal with Puma over the company’s ties to Israel.The rapper first became a brand ambassador for Puma in 2022 for a clothing and footwear line. He later partnered with them again for the ‘Skope Forever’ collection earlier this year.However, Skepta has now confirmed in a post on X/Twitter that his deal with the sports brand will terminate by August.“They know how I feel, I speak my mind.

After releasing the EP All In in 2021, Skepta shifted his focus away from rap and towards his burgeoning career in house music, both as a DJ and owner of the label Más Tiempo. He still popped up with the occasional indication that he hadn’t left rap behind entirely, though: last spring, a snippet of a new song went viral, and today you can hear the full version, titled “Gas Me Up.” Produced by Cardo, the single is a glossy celebration of success boosted by Skepta’s oaky, blunt delivery.

Skepta has teamed up with Idris Elba and Odumodublvck to create ‘Jangrova’, the first song from the Tribal Mark soundtrack. Check out the single below.Released yesterday (January 19), ‘Jangrova’ sees Skepta, Idris Elba and Odumodublvck rap in English and Nigerian Pidgin.

Skepta has revealed the line-up for his inaugural Big Smoke Festival this summer – check it out below.The new event is due to be held at Crystal Palace Park in south-east London on Saturday, July 6, and will feature a bill curated by the Tottenham rapper himself. Tickets are available here.Skepta will be performing too, marking his only UK performance of 2024.

Skepta has issued a statement over claims that the artwork for his upcoming new single references the Holocaust.The London rapper is due to release the song ‘Gas Me Up (Diligent)’ on January 26 as the first preview of his sixth studio album, ‘Knife And Fork’.On Monday (January 8), he shared the official cover art for the track, which was created by artist Gabriel Moses. The image depicts a group of men with shaved heads and in matching uniforms.

Skepta has announced details of his new album, ‘Knife and Fork’, his first new studio record since 2019. READ MORE: Skepta – ‘Ignorance Is Bliss’ review Writing on Instagram, the rapper said: “It’s been years since I dropped my last album and I want to thank you for all the love during my hiatus. I’ve seen the messages, tweets and Tik Toks, I’m truly grateful that my music is still resonating with the world, even in my absence.” “I’m happy to announce my next studio album #KnifeAndFork is loading this year, the first single #GasMeUp (Diligent) will be out January 26th.” A post shared by Big Smoke (@skepta)The Tottenham grime legend has released a total of five studio albums so far, most recently 2019’s ‘Ignorance is Bliss’, which included the singles ‘Bullet from a Gun’ and ‘Greaze Mode’.

Skepta has announced the inaugural edition of his one-day music festival, Big Smoke.READ MORE: Skepta – ‘Ignorance Is Bliss’ review The new event will take place in Crystal Palace Park in south-east London on Saturday, July 6 and will feature a line-up curated by Skepta himself.The rapper will choose the acts on two open-air stages, one of which will be hosted by his record label Más Tiempo and platform dance artists.Skepta will also be performing, marking his only UK performance of 2024. The rest of the line-up will be announced in due course.Revealing the news on Instagram live, Skepta said: “I’m gassed to finally announce that Big Smoke Festival is official..I’m so excited, it’s been a wild one to do this.

Skepta has teamed up with Ryder to release a new collaborative EP, ’48 Hours’.Earlier this October, 19-year-old Ryder shared his remix of Skepta’s ‘Konnichiwa‘ deep cut ‘Text Me Back’ to TikTok, called ‘#skeptacore pt. 3’.

Skepta has put out a casting call for actors to play a young version of him in an upcoming project.The grime artist shared the listing from his creative agency Big Smoke Corporation on social media today (October 17), where it states that he’s looking for male actors aged 16-21 “to play a young Skepta”. Those wanting to audition must be based in the UK.The post invites candidates to send their showreels, portraits and other information to the email address listed below.

Skepta has paid homage to Amy Winehouse with his new single ‘Can’t Play Myself (A Tribute To Amy)’ – listen to it below.The Mercury Prize-winning rapper and producer released the atmospheric house track today (October 13) via Más Tiempo/Island. He’d teased the song during various sets over the summer, including at his show at Glastonbury.Clocking in at just over three minutes, the pulsating ‘Can’t Play Myself…’ contains vocal samples from Winehouse’s 2007 single ‘Tears Dry On Their Own’, which features on her classic album ‘Back To Black’ (2006).The sample was cleared by the Amy Winehouse Foundation, according to a press release.

Glastonbury Festival 2023.The Spider will be returning to the Arcadia area for this year’s edition of the festival, which will feature a range of electronic music heavyweights on its line-up.The Chemical Brothers, Skepta, Floating Points, Daphni, Dubkasm, Plastician and more will all play in the spider across the weekend. Find the full list of artists here.Ahead of the festival, Arcadia has announced that it will run entirely on recycled biofuels for the first time, including cooking oil and chip fat.Explaining the initiative, Arcadia co-founder Bertie Cole told DJ Mag: “With the current infrastructure that festivals run on it was clear one of the more efficient ways it could be done is by using a waste fuel to power all those bits of machinery.“But until quite recently, a lot of the biofuels that were available didn’t really have the provenance of components, like some of them had palm oils etc.

Skepta is set to launch a new house music label, hosting a launch party as part of KOKO’s first birthday celebrations.The legendary Camden venue reopened last year after three years of restoration and redevelopment.